a The invention relates to a method of making a composition and a product from such method wherein such composition is effective in reducing the concentration of a contaminant in an environment.
It is known that various processes used to produce printed materials such as printing processes and lithography processes utilize various machinery that contain several parts such as rollers, apparatus to contain and move fluids (such as hoses and trays), and other moving parts (such as gears and the like). Such machinery becomes contaminated with various contaminants, such as organic deposits, calcium deposits, bacteria, fungi, and additional residue created from the use of various organic-based inks and printing production fluids known in the art. Great difficulty is encountered in attempting to reduce the concentration of, preferably remove, such contaminants from the various parts of the machinery due, in part, to the difficulty in accessing the internal parts of such machinery.
In addition, when such contaminant residue is not removed on a consistent basis, it is known that such residue can accumulate and harden over time creating a residue which is difficult to remove and can cause undesirable chemical reactions to occur in the various processes. Processes used in the past to remove such residue have included mechanical removal that requires disassembling the machinery to access parts that contain such residue and then removing such residue by mechanical methods such as by hammering, chiseling, and the like. Such mechanical methods require significant downtime of the machinery and involve increased risk to the equipment and the personnel involved with removing such residue.
It is also known that various methods for removing such residue, other than mechanical methods, usually involve the use of fluids such as various solvents and surfactants. However, such solvents and surfactants do not completely remove such residue. Further, when such solvents and surfactants do not completely remove such residue, such residue begins to accumulate as discussed above. Thus, a composition and process of using such composition for removing contaminants from machinery such as printing and lithography equipment that does not require mechanical methods of removing such residue, provides for a substantially complete removal of such residue, and helps to prevent the accumulation of such residue, would be of significant contribution to the art and to the economy.
It is also known that various industrial processes used to produce goods utilize various systems, such as packaging systems, flexographic systems, food processing systems, bleaching systems, metallurgy systems, acid washing systems, veterinary product systems, pesticide systems, meat processing systems, poultry processing systems, dairy processing systems, sanitizing systems, and the like and combinations thereof, which contain several parts such as gears, rollers, and the like. Such parts can become contaminated with various contaminants such as organic and calcium deposits, calcium and starch-based glues, and the like and combinations thereof. Various compositions known to reduce the concentration of, or remove, such contaminants utilize compositions which are difficult to dispose of due to environmental regulations and can present significant safety hazards. Thus, a composition, useful for removing such contaminants from such systems, which is non-toxic, easy to prepare, and capable of being disposed of without costly disposal procedures would also be of significant contribution to the art and to the economy.
It is also known that various industrial processes used to produce goods such as paper and pulp products utilize various water-containing systems. Such water-containing systems are also found in various printing systems, water treating systems, drainage systems, boiler systems, chiller systems, and the like. Use of such water-containing systems presents several problems relating to the fouling of such water-containing systems with various contaminants such as scale, algae, fungi, bacteria, surfactants, various organic compounds, and the like. The contaminants can foul such water-containing systems to such an extent that such water-containing systems require extensive cleaning to remove such contaminants, which results in a decrease in production of goods.
Various known compositions that can be used for reducing the concentration of, preferably removing or dissolving, such contaminants from such water-containing systems frequently utilize chlorine. However, use of such chlorine-based compositions present various environmental and safety hazards and further, disposal of such products produced using such chlorine-based compositions requires close environmental scrutiny and regulation. In addition, such chlorine-based compositions are frequently utilized in gaseous form which requires extensive safety and training procedures to be utilized. Thus, a composition, useful for removing or dissolving one or more contaminants from an environment that contains water-based systems, which is non-toxic, inexpensive, and easy to prepare and use would be of significant value to the art and to the economy.
In addition, compositions, useful in reducing the concentration of, preferably removing or dissolving, contaminants from an environment, which contain more than one component commonly require one of the components to be added to the environment first, followed by the addition of a second component. The two components must then react “in situ” to thereby provide a composition that can remove or dissolve the contaminants contained within the environment. Such compositions can be difficult to use due to the difficulty in determining how much of each component of the composition should be added. Thus, a composition useful in reducing the concentration of, preferably removing or dissolving, contaminants from an environment and that can be prepared “ex situ” in various concentrations, which can then be added to an environment to remove or dissolve contaminants would be of significant contribution to the art and to the economy.
In addition, a composition useful in reducing the concentration of, preferably removing or dissolving, contaminants from an environment which is prepared from easily accessible components and which can be prepared by a simple procedure utilizing a minimum of preparation apparatus would also be of significant contribution to the art and to the economy.